Meet the elderly dog who finally found a forever home in 2024 after spending most of his life in kennels.
Digger the ‘super affectionate’ 13-year-old Crossbreed has sadly spent over seven-and-a-half years waiting for a forever home where he can be showered with the love he deserves. He has been raised by the staff at dog welfare charity, Dogs Trust, and became a firm favourite with the team in Darlington, where he spent most of his time.
Staff at the shelter say they have watched Digger grow up and have celebrated many special occasions with him. So it was bittersweet when he finally left to head to his new home in Cheshire in February after a huge 2,791 days in kennels.
But of course everybody was over the moon for him to finally get the home he very much deserved after all that time.
Digger was at Darlington the majority of the time but did spend some time also at Dogs Trust Leeds rehoming centre where he was also a firm favourite with staff there too.
Staff say he was super affectionate and loved a snuggle and snooze on the sofa with those he knew well. He spent time in the real-life rooms to aid his transition to home life. He needed quite a specific type of home environment with patient and understanding owners.
He was sensitive to noise so needed quiet surroundings and to be the only pet in the home. He is now settling in to his new life and things are going well with his new family.
Alex Hennessey, manager at Dogs Trust Darlington said: “Digger was a much-loved boy by us all and after spending so long in our care it was a really special moment when he found his forever home. After watching so many dogs come and go from the centre, we were thrilled that this year was his time to go home, and he is now in his happy place where he is a doted-on dog.
“It’s testament to the dedication and hard work of all the team here at Darlington who spent so much quality time with Digger, helping his transition from kennels to living in a home, and we couldn’t be happier that all is going well in his new life in Cheshire.”
Digger was just one of many dogs to be supported by Dogs Trust in Darlington before being adopted in 2024. Among the others starting the new year in their forever home is Tillie, the ‘unwanted’ puppy who was returned to kennels twice .
Meet the dogs currently living at Darlington Dogs Trust while they wait for their forever home. This is Tillie
(Image: Darlington Dogs Trust)
The Lurcher was born in kennels in August 2020 and it wasn’t long before Tillie and her siblings all managed to find homes. But little Tillie sadly found herself back at Darlington Dogs Trust as her owners could no longer care for her.
And despite staff finding a new home for Tillie, the pup was returned to the charity for a second time in January 2024. The upheavals in her young life caused her to become a nervous and worried dog who lacked confidence and struggled with being left alone.
But in summer 2024 she finally found her forever home with owners who now “can’t imagine life without her.” Read the full story here.
Read more about the dogs rehomed in 2024 here.